We have a very small rescue group, Miri's House Cat & Kitten Rescue. We take in and foster cats that need socializing and rehoming, especially mom cats with kittens.
This summer, my cousin was feeding a beautiful calico cat who kept showing up at her doorstep. She had a ragged collar, but no tags, and she was very thin--but then it became obvious she was also very pregnant. Tiny as she was, she had a HUGE belly! My cousin called the cat Opal. She called some local shelters, but they were full, or said they could only take kittens, so she called me.
Opal came into foster care at my house, and, about a week later, on July 2nd, she gave birth to seven (!) kittens. Sadly, one was stillborn, but the other six were healthy. Since Opal had a gemstone name, we decided to name them all after gems or minerals.
The kittens are:
Onyx--black or dark tabby with white markings
Jasper--orange tabby
Sandstone--light orange tabby
Sunstone--orange and white patches
Mica--grey and white patches
Galena--dilute calico
They are absolutely beautiful, and so is their mom, Opal! We have potential adopters for almost all of them at this point. They are five weeks old now and really getting into a playful stage.